hoarse

hoarse [hawrs, hohrs] SynonymsWord Origin adjective, hoars·er, hoars·est.

1. having a vocal tone characterized by weakness of intensity and excessive breathiness; husky: the hoarse voice of the auctioneer.
2. having a raucous voice.
3. making a harsh, low sound.

Origin of hoarse 1350–1400; Middle English hors Old Norse *hārs (assumed variant of hāss); replacing Middle English hoos, Old English hās, cognate with Old High German heis, Old Saxon hēs Related formshoarse·ly, adverbhoarse·ness, nounCan be confusedhoarse horseSynonyms for hoarse 1. harsh, grating; throaty, rough. British Dictionary definitions for hoarseness hoarse adjective

1. gratingly harsh or raucous in tone
2. low, harsh, and lacking in intensitya hoarse whisper
3. having a husky voice, as through illness, shouting, etc

Derived Formshoarsely, adverbhoarseness, nounWord Origin for hoarse C14: of Scandinavian origin; related to Old Norse hās, Old Saxon hēs Word Origin and History for hoarseness hoarse adj.

late 14c., hors, earlier hos, from Old English has “hoarse,” from Proto-Germanic *haisa- (cf. Old Saxon hes, Old Norse hass, Dutch hees, Old High German heisi, German heiser “hoarse”), perhaps originally meaning “dried out, rough.” The -r- is difficult to explain; it is first attested c.1400, but it may indicate an unrecorded Old English variant *hars. Related: Hoarsely; hoarseness.

hoarseness in Medicine hoarse [hôrs] adj.

1. Rough or grating in sound, as of a voice.
2. Having or characterized by a husky, grating voice.